The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to a method and a system for evaluating a physiological ability of a patient and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to a method and a system for evaluating one or more functional abilities, such as neuromuscular abilities, of a patient.
After an accident or a stroke, a patient often need a rehabilitation process in an attempt to recapture some or all of the body function damaged in the accident or the stroke. Such rehabilitation may include a physical rehabilitation and/or a cognitive rehabilitation. During the physical rehabilitation, damaged or unused muscles, nerves and/or joints are brought back to full or partial functioning. During the cognitive rehabilitation, the cognitive ability to control the body is restored. In some cases, the patient needs to be trained in modified functionalities or even in new functionalities, for example, in the use of an artificial limb.
Currently, functional rehabilitation is mostly provided by personal attention of a physical therapist that exercises a patient in the performance of physiotherapy trainings. Furthermore, the current practice of a clinical assessment of such a functional rehabilitation remains mainly an assessment that is given by a clinician, a physiotherapist, or an occupational therapist.
During the last decade, different systems and devices have been developed for automating rehabilitation process exercises. For example, U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0229164, issued on Oct. 12, 2006, describes an exercise apparatus that comprises a resistance element, operative to supply a resistance to movement by a user of the apparatus and an actuator module which is operatively connected to the resistance element and operative to vary a resistance perceived by the user without changing the resistance element.
Another device for automating rehabilitation process exercises is described in U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0293617, issued on Dec. 28, 2006 that discloses a rehabilitation apparatus with at least three degrees of freedom of motion, comprising: a plurality of brakes; a motor, wherein the motor is operationally connected to the brakes; a plurality of surfaces, wherein each of a plurality of the surfaces correlates to a brake; and, wherein when the motor is activated, the brakes are selectively advanced to make contact with the surfaces causing friction between the brakes and the surfaces and thus causing variable resistance in the three degrees of freedom to the apparatus based on the extent of advancement of the brakes. Both U.S. Patent Applications are incorporated herein by reference.